by Jessica Gunn
Amanda nodded, a small smile on her lips. “Deal. Your secret is safe with me.”
I hugged her and told her to be safe. Then Rachel and I got back into the car and headed back to Boston. At least Amanda wasn’t directly involved with this war. That was one comfort I was happy to have.
Now we just had to win the war.
Chapter 5
KRYSTIN
My palms burned as if tiny flames danced upon them, endlessly twisting and writhing for hours now. The flames seared away my skin and bone and magik. I turned over onto my back and slammed my head into my pillow as far as I could. Lifting up my palms, I inspected them. No flames were there, not real ones. But on they burned.
“Fuck!” I shouted, balling my hands into fists and forcing myself to sit up. To ignore the phantom pain made real.
Since our raid on Lady Azar’s hideout only days ago, I’d had issues with my magik backfiring. But last night was the most I’d really used my magik since then. Especially with this new ala-ether, disposing of demons went quickly with little effort. But to have this happen now, before Lady Azar’s march on Alzan finally began, was not a good sign.
The invisible fires started again, a new wave of pain creeping a supernova hot path down my hands into my wrists. My veins bulged, turning white.
“What the—?” But before I could finish my sentence, the white turned purple, so dark a plum that it almost resembled the black inky veins I’d once had because of Giyano’s magik.
I willed my feet to move, carrying me out of bed to the door, which I kicked open. There was no way I was going to be touching anything while my hands burned like this.
I hurried to Shawn’s room and tapped his door with my foot. “Wake up. Something’s wrong.” No stirring from the inside. I kicked harder. “Shawn!”
Nate’s door opened down the hall and he poked his head out. “Everything okay?”
Shawn opened his door the second I turned to Nate and showed him my wrists. “No. Look.” I showed them both the white, bulging veins that turned purple as they twisted down my arm.
Nate’s eyes widened. He pushed open his door and jogged down the hallway, reaching out for my hands. Nate still wore sweatpants, as if I’d woken him from a dead sleep, too. He ran his fingertips over my veins, his own fingers shaking. “Krystin…”
“What happened?” Shawn asked, his face a hard mask of focus despite the bags hanging under his eyes.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I woke up like this.” Except that was a lie. I did know what was going on. “My magik’s backfiring again. But it’s never been like this before. Even at Ether Circle Prison my veins didn’t do this.”
Nate looked at me. “It’s getting worse.” He lifted one of his hands and hovered two fingers over my temple. “May I?”
“Sure, whatever you need to do.”
Nate was an ether-shaper, which meant he could feel the ether magik inside of me. It wasn’t the first time he’d done this, though it’d been almost a year since the last time.
He pressed two fingers to my left temple and shut his eyes.
“When did it start?” Shawn asked.
“Last night sometime,” I said, glancing at Shawn to distract myself from whatever Nate was going to find. “I woke up to the burning in my hands. Things felt like they were on fire the last two times this happened, but it’s never turned my veins white and purple. This isn’t normal.”
“Or good,” Nate said. He let go of my temple, dread falling over his features. His eyes settled on mine, some of his ebony hair falling onto his forehead. “It’s deeper this time. I don’t understand it.”
“Me either.”
“No,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “Usually, someone dealing with their magik backfiring is hit once in a brilliant display of uncontrolled power, and then they die. The monks I studied with brought people with magik backfiring into the village all the time. But you’ve had it happen twice before this and survived. This feels like a slow burn, but a deep one.” He shook his head, creases forming between his brow. “Krystin, I don’t know how you’re alive right now.”
“Maybe it’s the prophecy.”
“Or more specifically, the ala-ether,” Shawn said. “You’ve been through more magik trauma than most people ever hear about. If our magik is derived from cianzas, it’s possible that’s the only thing that’s kept you alive through all the swapping of magik types and demon magik you’ve encountered.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Nate said. “Krystin’s magik is backfiring at the soul level. Your ala-ether might be slowing it down, but it’s not going to stave it off forever.”
I took a step back and crossed my arms. “Are you saying I’m going to be dealing with this burning pain for the rest of my life?”
“Until the backfire takes full effect, yes,” he said. “I’d be more worried about that final flare, Krystin.”
“I’m going to die because of magik?” You can’t be serious. After everything—all the training with my mother as a child, joining the Circles, fighting alongside my teammates, and the war yet to come—I might be screwed either way? My fate was already sealed?
“What if I just don’t use magik?” I asked him before looking to Shawn with shaking hands. My breath quickened. “I mean, that’s what fended it off for so long anyway, right? Me not using magik for the six months I was gone.”
“But if you then use it at full strength like at Shadow Crest’s lair, it’ll be the same as binding and unbinding it,” Shawn said. “That’s the same yo-yoing you were afraid of me doing.”
Nate crossed his arms too. “I’d try not to use a lot of your magik, Krystin. And if you can speak to someone at Alzan about this, that’s probably your best chance.”
“Our magik is supposed to save Alzan. What if I need it in the final fight?” What was I supposed to do, just not show up or something? I didn’t have a choice. Without that magik, Alzan would fall. Again.
Nate’s eyes darkened. “I don’t know. Ask someone to examine your magik when we go to Alzan. Maybe they have a way around it since your magik is tied to cianzas.”
“Cianzas aren’t known for being the most flexible of magik sources,” Shawn said. Aside from dealing with input from both Good magik and Evil, their rules were pretty clear.
“I’ll ask Areus, pull him aside or something,” I said. “I don’t know how much I want Ben and Rachel knowing right now.” I’d find the longest sleeved shirt I owned and wear it. They’d never know.
Shawn’s eyes narrowed. “Why? They’re part of the team.”
“They’ve got enough to deal with right now.” Besides, me possibly dying because of my magik was too big a distraction for Ben to have to deal with on top of everything else. “We keep this between us until after I speak with Areus. Deal?” They both nodded reluctantly. “Good. Now someone help me get some ice.”
Shawn lifted a brow. “If the burning is magikal, ice won’t help.”
“A nice placebo, then.”
Nate frowned. “Why are you treating this like it’s nothing after waking us both up?”
My jaw locked. Did he really think that? “I’m not.”
“Right,” said Shawn.
I looked past the both of them to the wall on the other side of the hall. “This is painful, the worst it’s ever been. And I am scared about what this means for the long haul. You know, it’s not like I rely on magik. I can fight just fine without it. Lady Azar doesn’t scare me anymore. But this… If my magik flares completely before the end of this war, we might not save Alzan.”
Shawn nodded. “So let’s go to Areus now and tell him what’s going on.”
“No. We wait until Ben and Rachel are back and ready to go, too.”
“Why wait? It’s affecting you now.”
I glanced down at my still-burning hands, at the non-existent flames doing the damage. “Because then we’ll just have to go back a second time. Another magik use.”
Shawn’s lips thinned. �
��And my power alone isn’t enough.”
“Probably not. The walls between here and Alzan are definitely thinning, but they’re still there.”
“Take it easy, then,” Nate said. “No magik, especially big stuff, until we get to the city. Maybe float an ether orb every now and then, though, to keep the magik flowing in a small amount.”
I nodded and stepped past them to the stairs. “Can I go ice my hands now without the third degree?”
Shawn and Nate shared a look I didn’t like. It felt like they were making some unspoken decision to undermine me about something that didn’t concern them. At least, didn’t immediately concern them. If my magik flared and I died, Lady Azar might win and kill them all anyway.
“Yeah,” Shawn said. “I’ll help you.”
Nate pointed to his room. “I want to research something really quick. I’ll be down in a few.”
“Okay.”
Nate watched Shawn and me leave. The last thing I saw from him was a deepening frown.
Chapter 6
Ben
It was late afternoon by the time Rachel and I returned to Boston. We’d stopped for lunch somewhere along the way but hadn’t spoken since leaving her parents’ house. There really wasn’t much to say. Amanda and Michael were both safe and apparently magikless. Which meant that, for now, they and Rachel’s parents were probably safe.
It was all we could ask for.
After finding a parking spot a bit farther down the street, I put the car in park and we went back to the team’s house. Krystin was sitting on the couch with her legs stretched out, watching TV with her hands resting palms-up on her legs. Shawn and Nate had taken the two chairs on either side of the couch, Nate typing furiously on a laptop propped on his knees.
“Hey,” Krystin said, looking over her shoulder at us. “How’d it go?”
Nate stopped and glanced up at Rachel and me. “That was fast.”
“Too fast,” Rachel muttered.
Krystin cringed. “That bad?”
“Were they aware of magik?” Shawn asked.
Guess that was the question that mattered most. “No. Well, mostly not. Amanda doesn’t have magik but apparently sort of figured out what’s going on.”
Krystin swung her legs off the couch and turned to us. “How?”
“Through a combination of good guesses, talking to Sandra—which we didn’t know she was doing—and overhearing a conversation forever ago between me and Rachel.”
“Is that a good thing?” Shawn asked.
“I think so,” Rachel said. “It means she knows if anything weird happens, she can tell us. But as far as we can tell, none of them have magik.”
“Although we weren’t there for long.” I glanced at Rachel. “Her brother’s still mad about us leaving.”
“No, he’s mad you dragged me with you. Even if that’s not the truth.”
“Older brothers are like that sometimes,” Shawn said quietly. “I’d feel the same.”
Right. I’d forgotten he had two younger twin brothers.
Rachel shrugged. “It’ll be fine. One day he’ll get over it. Probably when we finally go home after all of this is done.”
If this all ever ended.
“Any word from Dacher?” I asked Krystin. Since she’d been back, she’d easily returned to the unspoken second-in-command role on the team. Which was more than fine by me. I hadn’t been around much, willingly or not, and someone had to keep everyone else on their toes. Although I was starting to think that no amount of training in the world would prepare us for the battle to come.
Krystin shook her head. “None. I think he thinks we’re in Alzan.”
“I’ll give him a call and let him know we haven’t gone yet,” I said. “What’s everyone got planned for tonight? Maybe we can go in the morning.” I wanted to sleep, preferably for as long as possible, before anything else happened. Most days it felt as though I hadn’t slept for almost three and a half years—since Riley had been born.
“Nothing,” Krystin said before swinging her legs back onto the couch and leaning her head against a stack of pillows. “Sleep. Lots of it.”
“Amen,” I said, looking to the others. It was a bit strange she didn’t want to go out for even a quick patrol around South Boston. But I guess we were all exhausted.
“I’m going to stay in,” Shawn said. “Help Nate with some research he’s looking into.”
Nate nodded. “I could use the help. Maybe we could head over to Fire Circle Headquarters.”
“Maybe.”
“What research?” Rachel asked.
“Just some stuff the ether-shaper monks I lived with were working on, that’s all. I’m also wondering if they knew anything about the Neuians.”
“Good call,” I said. “I’m also going to hit the sack. I’m exhausted.”
“I’ll be out for most of the night,” Rachel said as she tucked a fallen lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll be home late again, but I’ll be ready to go to Alzan tomorrow.”
I glanced at her. “Where are you going?”
“Max wants to take me to some fondue place.”
Krystin leaned back enough to look at Rachel, her eyes lit up. “The one on Arlington?”
Rachel nodded. “Yeah. I’m excited. It looks amazing.”
Krystin grinned. “It is. Enjoy.”
I gulped, trying not to look at Rachel. I didn’t know much about Max other than he was a Hydron agent and had been since Rachel met him, though he’d known she was a Fire Circle Hunter long before we’d figured out his true identity. And although he’d helped us in the fight against Lady Azar two months ago—had actually been instrumental in saving Rachel’s life—the fact that he’d lied initially didn’t sit well with me.
“Are you sure he’s legit?” I asked.
Rachel leveled me with a stare. “Yes. In fact, Dacher himself cleared him along with every single Hydron agent in their roster.”
My eyes narrowed. “How do you know they were clearing people?” I was under the impression only the Fire Circle Command, what was left of it anyway, and the candidates knew.
“Max told me. Maybe he shouldn’t have. But that’s okay.” She turned to climb the stairs to the second floor. “Besides, you’re not dating him. I am. Have a good night, Ben.”
And then she was gone.
Nate gave a slow whistle. Shawn smacked him in the chest.
“I just don’t want her to get hurt,” I clarified, though I definitely didn’t need to.
“Uh-huh,” Krystin said as she settled back into the couch. “She’s an adult. Give her space, Big Brother.”
“Funny.” Except it wasn’t. “Alzan in the morning, guys. Have a good night.”
“Want us to order pizza or something?” Shawn asked.
“Sure,” I said as I, too, climbed the stairs. “Let me know when it’s here.”
I left the three of them in the living room and went upstairs, passing Rachel’s door without bothering to talk to her again. Krystin was right. But with Jaffrin’s betrayal and everything else going on, the last thing I wanted was to drop my guard enough to let someone else hurt us. Even if it was someone who appeared to otherwise be an ally.
It’s been an ally every time. Even Krystin’s brief stint under Kinder’s control counted as the same.
I closed my bedroom door behind me and fired up my laptop. I changed into sweatpants while I waited for it to boot up. With a few clicks, I was signed in to a secured Fire Circle-based server I’d only recently gained access to. I was pretty sure Dacher didn’t expect me to use it this way, though. I didn’t care. I signed in to a second secure server and opened up a forum and my private messages inbox. A little orange banner indicated I had one new email waiting for me.
I grabbed the laptop and fell into bed, placing it in my lap, and opened the message.
Hey, Ben. Nothing new so far. Looks like they’re in a holding pattern until All Hallows’ Eve, just like you and your team thought. I think the
y’re still inside Landshaft, so that’s a no-go. I’m sorry. I wish I had better news for you. But I’ll keep monitoring things. Give me a call when you get this. I’ll be here all night. Sam.
Shit. That was both good news and bad.
I checked the timestamp on the message. Three hours ago, which meant Sam was still free unless something had changed. I clicked the “call” option on the top banner of her email message. Whoever had set up this server had done so with the intent of being able to contact anyone inside of it whenever you wanted. Which was good for me because I wasn’t sure how the team or Dacher would react to me being in contact with Sam so often. Or at all.
A video chat screen popped up with a dancing telephone icon. Footsteps sounded down the hallway as the call rang.
Fantastic. I glanced up at my bedroom door, praying it was just Krystin going to get something in her room. They were light-footed and kept going past my door. Yup, Krystin. Her footsteps didn’t sound back down the hallway.
I snagged my phone’s headset and plugged it into the laptop, popping an earbud in my ear the second Sam picked up the call.
The dancing telephone blinked out and Sam appeared in the video chat screen, her blonde hair and brown eyes staring back at me. Sam had to be around my age, but I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that she was a Blackwood witch only vaguely tied to the Fire Circle. And the only reason I knew that was because I happened to be at Headquarters when Dacher had received the call that she and the people she worked for had been tracking Shadow Crest’s movements within Landshaft. The demon city, the largest in North America, was impenetrable. Except, apparently, for Sam and her employers.
“Hey,” I said. “Just got your message.”
She nodded, eyes narrowing. “Good. Look, I wish I could tell you better news. But if they’re hanging around inside Landshaft, there’s no way to get to Riley. Your best shot might be to wait until All Hallows’ Eve and retrieve him while Lady Azar’s trying to get through the walls around Alzan.”
